Continental AG is donating 100,000 euros to the Welthungerhilfe aid organization to support Syrian refugees.
“Through no fault of their own, the people in the many refugee camps in the Middle East and Turkey are suffering the most from the conflicts in their home countries," says Continental CEO Elmar Degenhart. "As winter approaches, they need our immediate assistance. With our donation, we want to make a contribution especially to improve the schooling of the children there, which has been inadequate for way too long. Welthungerhilfe and its partners carry out excellent work on site, which they will be able to continue with our support."
Welthungerhilfe has been providing humanitarian aid for Syrian civil war victims since November 2012. This was initially done only within Syria, but in view of the increasing flow of refugees to Turkey and northern Iraq, Welthungerhilfe has begun taking action in these countries as well. Work to support civil war victims and displaced persons in the region has been coordinated from the country office in Gaziantep, Turkey, since the summer of 2014.
“We are delighted with this generous donation from Continental AG," says Till Wahnbaeck, secretary general of Welthungerhilfe. "The many thousands of Syrian children who have been holding out in Turkey with their families for more than four years urgently need our support. To make sure they do not grow up to become a lost generation, above all we need to provide schooling as well. There is often a lack of buses to the nearest school or money for the fares. Attending school will allow these children, some of whom are severely traumatized, to experience a bit of ordinary daily life again and gain hope for the future."
Degenhart says, “We know that employees at many Continental locations have started their own campaigns to support the refugees both here in Germany and on site. In doing so, they are putting our corporate value 'For One Another' into practice in an exemplary way.
"The employees and the company itself believe in bearing social and societal responsibility and maintain special links with individuals and organizations dedicated to helping people in need,” says Degenhart. “Besides the action being taken by our employees and our donation for urgent aid on site, we are also working with the German Federal Employment Agency on a coordinated program to enable refugees to enter the labor market.”
